PHOENIX, ARIZONA — A routine traffic stop for a missing mudflap in the Phoenix metro area on September 29 unraveled into a string of serious violations — including a driver who had been disqualified from operating a commercial vehicle after failing a drug test, was not wearing a seatbelt despite a warning sticker on his own window, and had logged himself as being in sleeper berth status while actively behind the wheel.
AZDPS Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit troopers stopped the bobtail after spotting the missing mudflap and the unbelted driver. During the stop the trooper noted the driver’s own window carried an AZDPS sticker reading “Safety Belt Use Required In This Vehicle.” The driver’s log book showed him in sleeper berth status at the time he was driving.
Further investigation revealed the driver’s CDL was not valid — he had failed a prior drug test and was prohibited from operating a commercial vehicle. When asked how he ended up behind the wheel anyway, the driver explained that the first company he applied to did not hire him, but another CMV company did.
The driver was cited and placed out of service.
“NO CDL = NO COMMERCIAL DRIVING,” AZDPS said. “No matter what you drive, seat belts save lives. Buckle up and keep trucking safely.”
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